Necco candy equipment is to be sold off, sounding another death knell of a Boston institution

It took decades for the owners of the New England Confectionery Co. to assemble their candy empire. And it will take just a matter of weeks for that empire to be broken into pieces and sold off.

Much of the equipment in the Necco plant, which shuttered suddenly in July, will be sold at an online auction on Wednesday and Thursday. Four candy brands are also available: Mighty Malt Milk Balls, Haviland Thin Mints, Sky Bar, and Peach Blossoms.

“We’re calling this the biggest candy auction of the 21st century,’’ said Jim Greenberg, co-president of Union Confectionery Machinery. “Nothing is even close. This is the big one.’’